Millions of Brits urged to get second jab now so we can ‘take the next step’ and unlock on July 19

MILLIONS of Brits are being urged to get their first or second jab NOW so England can “take the next step” and unlock on July 19.

Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi tonight ramped up calls for remaining Brits to get jabbed  – as he credited the “phenomenal” rollout with saving more than 14,000 lives and stopping 45,000 hospitalisations.

Mr Zahawi told a Downing Street press briefing: “As we look to tackle and take on those final steps, those hard yards on the road to recovery, we need to make sure as many people are protected as possible.

“So we’re intensifying, doubling down on efforts to get more people to come forward.”

He also astonishingly revealed that a third of 18-24 year-olds have already had a first dose – only days after they were called up.

He was also bullish about meeting the target of double-jabbing all over-40s by July 19.

Dr Mary Ramsay was confident vaccines were breaking the link between cases and deaths, squinting to point out the low fatalities on the slides.

This evening’s briefing comes ahead of a crunch announcement on Monday when Boris Johnson will decide whether to unlock early on July 5.

The PM is poring over the latest data before making up his mind – but he is unlikely to cut short his roadmap and instead hold tight until July 19.

His decision to delay Freedom Day for four weeks was to keep the super-infectious Delta variant at bay while more Brits got jabbed.

The Government’s target is for all over-18s – who are now eligible to book an appointment – to have been offered a single dose before July 19.

Gov.uk

Deaths have been driven down to the floor because of the vaccination drive[/caption]

Gov.uk

Younger people now comprise the majority of hospital patients[/caption]

In key Covid developments:

• A minister defended the expected decision to allow UEFA VIPs to skip quarantine
• Hopes rose that more countries will be added to the green list tomorrow
• Facemasks and social distancing is set to be scrapped on July 19
• Bullish experts said England could unlock early on July 5

Mr Zahawi – who fronted his first Downing Street press conference tonight – regularly bangs the drum for people to get the jab on the airwaves.

He has been especially vocal in encouraging ethnic minority communities to get vaccinated amid fears of low take-up rates.

Mr Zahawi tonight lashed out at anti-vaxxers fuelling fears in this communities.

Ministers are now under pressure to tear up certain restrictions such as mandatory quarantine for the fully-vaccinated.

The PM and Health Secretary Matt Hancock have both confirmed they are looking at letting double-jabbed Brits skip quarantine.

It would come as a huge boost for holidaymakers longing for a post-pandemic getaway.

Culture minister John Whittingdale today raised hopes, telling Sky News: “People like to get away to the sun and there are a number of countries on the green list, and hopefully it will be possible to increase that number.”